Yesterday we had a jam-packed day starting with Joni leading us from our hotel down Hollywood Boulevard to Author Services. We got a tour of the resplendent library and reading room where our workshop is being held. This place is gorgeous and I want a library just like it. It was really awe-inspiring to look at the reading room with shelves of books by previous contest winners. We all know about people like Pat Rothfuss, but through the years the contest winners have filled multiple ceiling-tall shelves with their works.

Then we got down to work. Tim Powers and Dave Wolverton know it all, and they're trying to pour it into our skulls. I took pages and pages of notes. Brilliant stuff.

We got given our objects for the 24-hour story. Someone got an empty pack of cigarettes, someone else got a pocketknife, another got a rock. I got an inch-long smooth flat metal piece with a hole in the middle for a screw: some sort of spacer or washer. It took a lot of thinking to figure out how to be inspired by that, but I'm on the right track. Today we get to do research and meet a random stranger to interview and then at 4 pm we start the clock on our story!

Twenty-four hour stories are well underway! I'm sitting on a patio at the hotel, listening to the vibrant LA traffic sounds and hoping the air here doesn't corrode my lungs, while typing away madly. Everyone's hard at work. Keys clack, pens scribble. Breaks only for stretching legs and replenishing caffeine. We have until 4, and then at 5?

Artwork reveal.

I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

Got to get back to the story, I'm 6k words in and I need to up my pace.

Finished my story, had my husband edit it while I ate a late lunch, finalized all our edits, sent it in, lay down for a nice nap - and got woken up because the photographers wanted to know where I was so they could take pictures of me!

In just a little while, we get to see our art. I don't mind confessing I've got goosebumps.

And some other amazing people. Don't get me wrong. Robert Sawyer was fantastic and Kevin J Anderson / Rebecca Moesta are always on point and amazing.

But.

Orson. Scott. Card.

I took five pages of notes in his one-hour talk. I kept my fangirling low key.

Orson Scott Card.

And Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle sat two seats down from me at the book signing. The book signing! We signed 253 copies of the book! It is a beautiful book, get your copy.

And the art reveal yesterday! Everyone's art was gorgeous but mine was stunning. I didn't expect what they drew, but it's amazing. I'm the one with the nearly-naked barbarian warrior. In case you were wondering. He's not the protagonist - but she would be totally fine with that picture, so I'm not complaining. It's gorgeous. Absolutely amazing. I love it and want to take it home right now but they're keeping it til after the gala.

This week has been mad and insane and hectic and glorious and I've loved it all and I can't believe it's almost nearly over.

The artwork reveal is built up to be this big thing, and you start to worry it won't live up to it... and then I went into the room, and I'm walking round and I don't think I've spotted mine yet, I'm 3/4 round, I'm going to really offend my illustrator by not recognising it... then I turn, and it's there. It's just there, and it's perfect, and I'm pulled in magnetically, and there's electricity running up and down my body in shivers, and the only reason I'm not crying is because there's a camera pointed at me and I promised my wife I wouldn't.

I mean, come on. Look at it. It's so perfect it hurts.The description in my story extends to "small, 17, black hair", but that's her.

But as wonderful as the art reveal is, it's nothing compared to how wonderful the people have been. The judges and guests and ASI staff and everyone have all been fun and interesting and welcoming, but it's not them I mean.

I mean the motley crew I'm with. Stewart, Kate & Julie above, and Krystal who might be lurking somewhere, and anyone else who I've forgotten is on these forums, and everyone else, and it's all just been so fantastic hanging out with them that I'm already mourning saying goodbye to them in two days (or tonight, for Krystal). It's cheesy to say "they're your new writing family", but there has not been an awkward moment, a misunderstood joke, anything but the easiest, most comfortable company, and it is wonderful that we've had this week together and terrible that we will never all be together again.

Anyway--before I get emotional--tonight's the night! It's streaming from 18:30 tonight, LA time, about 7½ hours from the time of this post, on the main WotF home page. The stage looks amazing:

Congratulations to every one of the winners. Looking forward to reading your Golden Pen Award caliber story Matt, along with the rest of course.I imagine in the future we fans will use a 3-D printer immediately after the gala to acquire a copy of the anthology.

Big congrats to Matt and all the other winners! I would be jealous but I can't help but feel proud that there are people out there making it in the spec fic world. Huge thanks to you all for serving as great inspiration

If a person offend you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick. ~ Mark Twain2015, Q4: R2016: SF, n/a, SHM, SHM2017: SHM, n/a, F, R

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to include us in your awards week, and for your continued contributions to the Forums since your wins. I appreciate the input.Best of luck to all of the winners.